Magneto-optical traps (MOTs) composed of magnetic fields and light fields have been widely utilized to cool andconfine microscopic particles. Practical technology applications require miniaturized MOTs. The advancemen...Magneto-optical traps (MOTs) composed of magnetic fields and light fields have been widely utilized to cool andconfine microscopic particles. Practical technology applications require miniaturized MOTs. The advancement of planaroptics has promoted the development of compact MOTs. In this article, we review the development of compact MOTs basedon planar optics. First, we introduce the standardMOTs. We then introduce the gratingMOTs with micron structures, whichhave been used to build cold atomic clocks, cold atomic interferometers, and ultra-cold sources. Further, we introducethe integrated MOTs based on nano-scale metasurfaces. These new compact MOTs greatly reduce volume and powerconsumption, and provide new opportunities for fundamental research and practical applications.展开更多
Single caesium atoms in a large-magnetic-gradient vapour-cell magneto-optical trap have been identified. The trapping of individual atoms is marked by the steps in fluorescence signal corresponding to the capture or l...Single caesium atoms in a large-magnetic-gradient vapour-cell magneto-optical trap have been identified. The trapping of individual atoms is marked by the steps in fluorescence signal corresponding to the capture or loss of single atoms. The typical magnetic gradient is about 29 mT/cm, which evidently reduces the capture rate of magneto-optical trap.展开更多
We experimentally produce the rubidium Bose-Einstein condensate in an optically plugged magnetic quadrupole trap. A far blue-detuned focused laser beam with a wavelength of 532nm is plugged in the center of the magnet...We experimentally produce the rubidium Bose-Einstein condensate in an optically plugged magnetic quadrupole trap. A far blue-detuned focused laser beam with a wavelength of 532nm is plugged in the center of the magnetic quadrupole trap to increase the number of trapped atoms and to suppress the heating. An rf evaporative cooling in the magneto-optical hybrid trap is applied to decrease the atom temperature into degeneracy. The atom number of the condensate is 1.2（0.4）× 10^5 and the temperature is below lOOnK. We also study characteristic behaviors of the condensate, such as phase space density, condensate fraction and anisotropic expansion.展开更多
Realizing a molecular magneto-optical trap has been a dream for cold molecular physicists for a long time. However,due to the complex energy levels and the small effective Lande g-factor of the excited states, the tra...Realizing a molecular magneto-optical trap has been a dream for cold molecular physicists for a long time. However,due to the complex energy levels and the small effective Lande g-factor of the excited states, the traditional magneto-optical trap（MOT） scheme does not work very well for polar molecules. One way to overcome this problem is the switching MOT,which requires very fast switching of both the magnetic field and the laser polarizations. Switching laser polarizations is relatively easy, but fast switching of the magnetic field is experimentally challenging. Here we propose an alternative approach, the microwave-mediated MOT, which requires a slight change of the current experimental setup to solve the problem. We calculate the MOT force and compare it with the traditional MOT and the switching MOT scheme. The results show that we can operate a good MOT with this simple setup.展开更多
We study the excessive levitation effect in the magnetically levitated loading process of ultracohl Cs atoms into a large-volume crossed optical dipole trap. We analyze the motion of atoms with a non-zero combined gra...We study the excessive levitation effect in the magnetically levitated loading process of ultracohl Cs atoms into a large-volume crossed optical dipole trap. We analyze the motion of atoms with a non-zero combined gravito-magnetic force during the loading, where the magnetically levitated force catches up with and surpasses the gravity. We present the theoretical variations of both acceleration and velocity with levitation time and magnetic field gradient. We measure the evolution of the number of trapped atoms with the excessive levitation time at different magnetic field gradients. The dependence of the number of atoms on the magnetic field gradient is also measured for different excessive levitation times. The theoretical analysis shows reasonable agreement with the experimental results. Our investigation illustrates that the excessive levitation can be used to reduce the heating effect of atoms in the magnetically levitated loading process, and to improve the loading rate of a large-volume optical dipole trap.展开更多
We report on the production of large sodium Bose^Einstein condensates in a hybrid of magnetic quadrupole and optical dipole trap. With an optimized spin-flip Zeeman slower, 2 ~ 1010 sodium atoms are captured in the ma...We report on the production of large sodium Bose^Einstein condensates in a hybrid of magnetic quadrupole and optical dipole trap. With an optimized spin-flip Zeeman slower, 2 ~ 1010 sodium atoms are captured in the magneto-optical trap （MOT）. A long distance magnetic transfer setup moves the cold atom over 46cm from the MOT chamber to the UHV science chamber, which provides great optical access and long conservative trap lifetime. After evaporative cooling in the hybrid trap, we produce nearly pure condensates of 1 ~ 107 atoms with lifetime of 80 s in the optical dipole trap.展开更多
We present a simple, robust, space-adjustable dark magneto-optical trap(MOT) for the efficient production of heteronuclear molecules. Double-mixed beams made up of repumping beams and depumping beams propagate in near...We present a simple, robust, space-adjustable dark magneto-optical trap(MOT) for the efficient production of heteronuclear molecules. Double-mixed beams made up of repumping beams and depumping beams propagate in nearly opposite directions in the dark MOT. This optical arrangement can easily adjust the spatial positions of two clouds by changing the power ratio of the two repumping beams, and ensure a good overlap, which is very necessary for the production of heteronuclear molecules. The imaging of cold atoms by camera and the collisioninduced loss rate obtained by recording the loading curve of the cold atoms show that we obtain a perfect overlap of atom clouds. The number of Rb Cs molecules with the double-mixed beams is improved by 70%, which is higher than the one with the single-mixed beam.展开更多
In our experiment, a single cesium atom prepared in a large-magnetic-gradient magneto optical trap （MOT） can be efficiently transferred into a 1064-nm far-off-resonance microscopic optical dipole trap （FORT）. The ...In our experiment, a single cesium atom prepared in a large-magnetic-gradient magneto optical trap （MOT） can be efficiently transferred into a 1064-nm far-off-resonance microscopic optical dipole trap （FORT）. The efficient transfer of the single atom between the two traps is used to determine the trapping lifetime and the effective temperature of the single atom in FORT. The typical trapping lifetime has been improved from ~ 6.9 s to ~ 130 s by decreasing the background pressure from 1 × 10^-10 Torr to ~ 2 × 10^-11 Torr and applying one-shot 10-ms laser cooling phase. We also theoretically investigate the dependence of trapping lifetimes of a single atom in a FORT on trap parameters based on the FORT beam＇s intensity noise induced heating. Numerical simulations show that the heating depends on the FORT beam＇s waist size and the trap depth. The trapping time can be predicted based on effective temperature measurement of a single atom in the FORT and the intensity noise spectra of the FORT beam. These experimental results are found to be in agreement with the predictions of the heating model.展开更多
A single cesium atom is trapped in a far-off-resonance optical dipole trap （FORT） from the magneto-optical trap （MOT） and directly imaged by using a charge-coupled device （CCD） camera. The binary single-atom ste...A single cesium atom is trapped in a far-off-resonance optical dipole trap （FORT） from the magneto-optical trap （MOT） and directly imaged by using a charge-coupled device （CCD） camera. The binary single-atom steps and photon anti-bunching are observed by a photon-counting-based HBT system using fluorescence light. The average atom dwelling time in the FORT is about 9 s. To reduce the background noise in the detection procedure we employ a weak probe laser tuned to the D1 line to il- lurninate the single atom from the direction perpendicular to the large-numerical-aperture collimation system. The second or- der degree of coherence g（2）（r）=0.12_＋0.02 is obtained directly from the fluorescence light of the single atom without deducting the background. The background light has been suppressed to 10 counts per 50 ms, which is much lower compared with the reported results. The measured g（2）（r） is in good agreement with theoretical analysis. The system provides a simple and effi- cient method to manipulate and measure single neutral atoms, and opens a way to create an efficient controlled single-photon source.展开更多
基金the National Key Research and Development Program of China(Grant No.2022YFA1404104)the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant Nos.12025509 and 12104521)Fundamental Research Project of Shenzhen(Grant No.JCYJ20230808105009018).
文摘Magneto-optical traps (MOTs) composed of magnetic fields and light fields have been widely utilized to cool andconfine microscopic particles. Practical technology applications require miniaturized MOTs. The advancement of planaroptics has promoted the development of compact MOTs. In this article, we review the development of compact MOTs basedon planar optics. First, we introduce the standardMOTs. We then introduce the gratingMOTs with micron structures, whichhave been used to build cold atomic clocks, cold atomic interferometers, and ultra-cold sources. Further, we introducethe integrated MOTs based on nano-scale metasurfaces. These new compact MOTs greatly reduce volume and powerconsumption, and provide new opportunities for fundamental research and practical applications.
基金Project supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos 60578018 and 10434080)the State Key Research Program of China (Grant No 2006CB921102)+2 种基金the Program for New Century Excellent Talents of the Education Ministry, China (Grant No NCET-07-0524)the Specialized Research Fund for the Doctoral Program of China (Grant No 20070108003)the Natural Science Foundation of Shanxi Province, China (Grant No 2007011003)
文摘Single caesium atoms in a large-magnetic-gradient vapour-cell magneto-optical trap have been identified. The trapping of individual atoms is marked by the steps in fluorescence signal corresponding to the capture or loss of single atoms. The typical magnetic gradient is about 29 mT/cm, which evidently reduces the capture rate of magneto-optical trap.
基金Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China under Grant Nos 11434015,91336106 and 11004224the National Basic Research Program of China under Grant No 2011CB921601
文摘We experimentally produce the rubidium Bose-Einstein condensate in an optically plugged magnetic quadrupole trap. A far blue-detuned focused laser beam with a wavelength of 532nm is plugged in the center of the magnetic quadrupole trap to increase the number of trapped atoms and to suppress the heating. An rf evaporative cooling in the magneto-optical hybrid trap is applied to decrease the atom temperature into degeneracy. The atom number of the condensate is 1.2（0.4）× 10^5 and the temperature is below lOOnK. We also study characteristic behaviors of the condensate, such as phase space density, condensate fraction and anisotropic expansion.
基金Project supported by the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities of China
文摘Realizing a molecular magneto-optical trap has been a dream for cold molecular physicists for a long time. However,due to the complex energy levels and the small effective Lande g-factor of the excited states, the traditional magneto-optical trap（MOT） scheme does not work very well for polar molecules. One way to overcome this problem is the switching MOT,which requires very fast switching of both the magnetic field and the laser polarizations. Switching laser polarizations is relatively easy, but fast switching of the magnetic field is experimentally challenging. Here we propose an alternative approach, the microwave-mediated MOT, which requires a slight change of the current experimental setup to solve the problem. We calculate the MOT force and compare it with the traditional MOT and the switching MOT scheme. The results show that we can operate a good MOT with this simple setup.
基金Project supported by the National Key Research and Development Program of China(Grant No.2017YFA0304203)the Changjiang Scholars and Innovative Research Team in University of Ministry of Education of China(Grant No.IRT13076)+2 种基金the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant Nos.91436108,61378014,61675121,11434007,61705123,and 61722507)the Fund for Shanxi"1331 Project"Key Subjects Construction and the Foundation for Outstanding Young Scholars of Shanxi Province,China(Grant No.201601D021001)the Applied Basic Research Project of Shanxi Province,China(Grant No.201701D221002)
文摘We study the excessive levitation effect in the magnetically levitated loading process of ultracohl Cs atoms into a large-volume crossed optical dipole trap. We analyze the motion of atoms with a non-zero combined gravito-magnetic force during the loading, where the magnetically levitated force catches up with and surpasses the gravity. We present the theoretical variations of both acceleration and velocity with levitation time and magnetic field gradient. We measure the evolution of the number of trapped atoms with the excessive levitation time at different magnetic field gradients. The dependence of the number of atoms on the magnetic field gradient is also measured for different excessive levitation times. The theoretical analysis shows reasonable agreement with the experimental results. Our investigation illustrates that the excessive levitation can be used to reduce the heating effect of atoms in the magnetically levitated loading process, and to improve the loading rate of a large-volume optical dipole trap.
基金Supported by the National Basic Research Program of China under Grant No 2013CB922002the National Natural Science Foundation of China under Grant No 11474347
文摘We report on the production of large sodium Bose^Einstein condensates in a hybrid of magnetic quadrupole and optical dipole trap. With an optimized spin-flip Zeeman slower, 2 ~ 1010 sodium atoms are captured in the magneto-optical trap （MOT）. A long distance magnetic transfer setup moves the cold atom over 46cm from the MOT chamber to the UHV science chamber, which provides great optical access and long conservative trap lifetime. After evaporative cooling in the hybrid trap, we produce nearly pure condensates of 1 ~ 107 atoms with lifetime of 80 s in the optical dipole trap.
基金supported by the National 973 Program of China(No.2012CB921603)the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Nos.61275209,11304189,61378015,and 11434007)+1 种基金the NSFC Project for Excellent Research Team(No.61121064)PCSIRT(No.IRT13076)
文摘We present a simple, robust, space-adjustable dark magneto-optical trap(MOT) for the efficient production of heteronuclear molecules. Double-mixed beams made up of repumping beams and depumping beams propagate in nearly opposite directions in the dark MOT. This optical arrangement can easily adjust the spatial positions of two clouds by changing the power ratio of the two repumping beams, and ensure a good overlap, which is very necessary for the production of heteronuclear molecules. The imaging of cold atoms by camera and the collisioninduced loss rate obtained by recording the loading curve of the cold atoms show that we obtain a perfect overlap of atom clouds. The number of Rb Cs molecules with the double-mixed beams is improved by 70%, which is higher than the one with the single-mixed beam.
基金Acknowledgements This work was supported by the Na- tional Natural Science Foundation of China （Grant Nos. 60978017, 61078051, and 10974125）, the project from excellent research team from the National Natural Science Foundation of China （Grant No. 60821004）, and the NCET Program from the Ministry of Educa- tion of China （Grant No. NCET-07-0524）.
文摘In our experiment, a single cesium atom prepared in a large-magnetic-gradient magneto optical trap （MOT） can be efficiently transferred into a 1064-nm far-off-resonance microscopic optical dipole trap （FORT）. The efficient transfer of the single atom between the two traps is used to determine the trapping lifetime and the effective temperature of the single atom in FORT. The typical trapping lifetime has been improved from ~ 6.9 s to ~ 130 s by decreasing the background pressure from 1 × 10^-10 Torr to ~ 2 × 10^-11 Torr and applying one-shot 10-ms laser cooling phase. We also theoretically investigate the dependence of trapping lifetimes of a single atom in a FORT on trap parameters based on the FORT beam＇s intensity noise induced heating. Numerical simulations show that the heating depends on the FORT beam＇s waist size and the trap depth. The trapping time can be predicted based on effective temperature measurement of a single atom in the FORT and the intensity noise spectra of the FORT beam. These experimental results are found to be in agreement with the predictions of the heating model.
基金supported by the State Basic Key Research Program of China (Grant No. 2012CB921601)China National Funds for Distinguished Young Scientists (Grant No. 11125418)the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 10974125,61121064 and60978017)
文摘A single cesium atom is trapped in a far-off-resonance optical dipole trap （FORT） from the magneto-optical trap （MOT） and directly imaged by using a charge-coupled device （CCD） camera. The binary single-atom steps and photon anti-bunching are observed by a photon-counting-based HBT system using fluorescence light. The average atom dwelling time in the FORT is about 9 s. To reduce the background noise in the detection procedure we employ a weak probe laser tuned to the D1 line to il- lurninate the single atom from the direction perpendicular to the large-numerical-aperture collimation system. The second or- der degree of coherence g（2）（r）=0.12_＋0.02 is obtained directly from the fluorescence light of the single atom without deducting the background. The background light has been suppressed to 10 counts per 50 ms, which is much lower compared with the reported results. The measured g（2）（r） is in good agreement with theoretical analysis. The system provides a simple and effi- cient method to manipulate and measure single neutral atoms, and opens a way to create an efficient controlled single-photon source.
